Integrated Recycling System

ABSTRACT

A piece of office furniture includes a body portion. The body portion defines a cavity therein. A plurality of drawers is disposed within the cavity. Each drawer is slidably mounted to the body portion and includes a front door portion affixed thereto. A plurality of removable bins are each disposed in a different one of the plurality of drawers. A cabinet is defined by at least one vertical sub-wall and the body portion. A cabinet door is pivotally affixed to the body portion and is configured to enclose the cabinet. A plurality of labels is associated with each of the door portions and the cabinet door. The plurality of labels indicates which type of material is to be placed in the removable bin corresponding to the door with which each label is associated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/179,041, filed May 18, 2009, the entirety ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to office furniture and, morespecifically, to office furniture that incorporates a recycling system.

2. Description of the Related Art

Credenzas are one of the many different types of office furniture.Credenzas are used in many applications, including providing a servingsurface for food items in a buffet and for the distribution ofpublications at a meeting.

Oftentimes, meals are provided in office conference rooms and the likeduring “working lunch meetings.” Such meals usually include food itemsthat are stored in and served on recyclable containers, such a glass andplastic containers. Frequently, such meals also include items served inmaterials that are not commonly recycled, such as Styrofoam cups. Also,during business-oriented meals, recyclable papers are often distributedas part of, for example, a lunch time meeting.

Unfortunately, common recycling containers and trash bins can beperceived as detracting from the ambience of a conference room. Also, aconference room can become crowded with the presence of both a servingcredenza and a plurality of recycling containers. Therefore, the host ofa lunch meeting is often confronted with the dilemma of either providingrecycling containers in the conference room, knowing that their presencemight detract from the experience of the meeting, or not providingrecycling containers and thereby allowing recyclable materials to bethrown out as trash.

Therefore, there is a need for a credenza that provides a servingsurface and the functionality of recycling containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present inventionwhich, in one aspect, is a piece of office furniture that includes abody portion. The body portion defines a cavity therein. A plurality ofdrawers is disposed within the cavity. Each drawer is slidably mountedto the body portion and includes a front door portion affixed thereto. Aplurality of removable bins are each disposed in a different one of theplurality of drawers. A cabinet is defined by at least one verticalsub-wall and the body portion. A cabinet door is pivotally affixed tothe body portion and is configured to enclose the cabinet. A pluralityof labels is associated with each of the door portions and the cabinetdoor. The plurality of labels indicates which type of material is to beplaced in the removable bin corresponding to the door with which eachlabel is associated.

In another aspect, the invention is a credenza that includes a bodyportion. The body portion includes a vertical back wall, two oppositelydisposed vertical side walls, a horizontal planar bottom surface and anopposite horizontal top surface. The bottom surface, the top surface,the back wall and the two side walls define a cavity therein. Aplurality of spaced apart vertical sub-walls is disposed within thecavity so as to define a plurality of compartments therebetween. A firstfront door is disposed at a front side of a first one of thecompartments and a first removable bin is disposed in the first one ofthe compartments. The first front door includes a label indicating thatthe first removable bin is configured to receive therein a firstrecyclable material. The first front door is coupled to a slidemechanism that is configured to support the first removable bin and thatis configured to slide the first removable bin outwardly from the firstone the compartments so as to facilitate access to the first removablebin. A second front door is disposed at a front side of a second one ofthe compartments and a second removable bin is disposed in the secondone of the compartments. The second front door includes a labelindicating that the second removable bin is configured to receivetherein a second recyclable material. The second front door is coupledto a slide mechanism that is configured to support the second removablebin and that is configured to slide the second removable bin outwardlyfrom the second one the compartments so as to facilitate access to thesecond removable bin. A third front door is pivotally affixed to thebody portion so as to enclose a third one of the compartmentsselectively. The third front door includes a label indicating that thethird one of the compartments is configured to receive therein anon-refuse item.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunctionwith the following drawings. As would be obvious to one skilled in theart, many variations and modifications of the invention may be effectedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top right perspective view of a first representativeembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 inwhich a drawer is extended.

FIG. 3B is a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 inwhich the front doors have been removed.

FIG. 3C is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in whichtwo drawers have been extended and a door has been opened.

FIG. 4 is a top right perspective view of a second representativeembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top right perspective view of a third representativeembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail.Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughoutthe views. Unless otherwise specifically indicated in the disclosurethat follows, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. As usedin the description herein and throughout the claims, the following termstake the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise: the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includesplural reference, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, one embodiment is a piece of office furnitureconfigured as a combined credenza recycling system 100 that includes ashell member 110 and a top piece 120. The top piece 120 can performseveral functions, including serving foods and beverages, laying outmaterials, supporting audiovisual equipment, etc. The top piece 120 caninclude a counter top material such as granite, marble, a stone, asynthetic stone or any other material commonly used in counter tops. Theshell member 110 includes a credenza body portion 112 that defines aplurality of interior compartments 114 a-d therein. The shell member canbe constructed using such materials as wood, steel, plastic, fiberboard,composites and combinations thereof. Some of the interior compartments114 a-d includes drawers 113 mounted therein. The shell member 110 maybe mounted on large glides 140 to facilitate easy movement of the system100. In an alternate embodiment, the shell member 110 may be mounted oncastors for the same purpose.

In use, servable items (such as food and papers) may be placed on theserving surface top piece 120. As needed, users slide out selectedcompartments 114 a-d to place recyclable materials and trash in thecorresponding compartments 114 a-d. Custodial personnel can also removethe contents of the compartments 114 a-d by sliding them out. Disposedin each of these compartments 114 a-d can be a durable, washable andremovable bin 144, such as a plastic or synthetic rubber bin. Eachcompartment 114 a-d can be supplied with a separate planar lift-off toppiece 146 defining an opening 148 into the bin 144 below.

A drawer 113, including a front door portion 115, a pair of walls 121and a bottom portion 119 can be placed in different ones of the interiorcompartments 114 a-d. A sliding mechanism, such as a drawer slide 118(or one of the many other mechanisms configured to support slidingdrawers, as well known in the cabinetry arts) is affixed to the drawer113 to facilitate easy removal of the removable bins 144.

Each front door portion 115 includes a gripping member 116 disposedthereon to help a user can draw a selected drawer 113 out to placerecyclable materials or trash into a selected one of the bins 144. Alabel 117 may be applied to either the gripping member 116 or the faceof the compartment 114 a-d to indicate which type of material is storedin a corresponding compartment 114 a-d. The label 117 can be affixed tothe gripping member 116 or it may be embedded therein, such as throughengraving or by casting the gripping member 116 so as to include themember. Alternately, the label 117 could be placed on the front face ofthe compartments 114 a-d. Also the shape of the opening 148 may indicatethe type of material is to be placed in the corresponding bin 144. Forexample, a triangular opening 148 might be used to indicate thatplastics are to be placed in the bin 144 underneath the opening 148.

One compartment 114 e can serve as a storage compartment for non-refuseitems. This compartment can include adjustable shelves 150 and caninclude a blind hinged cabinet door 123 for access thereto. Thiscompartment 114 e could be configured as a cabinet and used, forexample, to house meeting room supplies, audio-visual equipment, and thelike.

An alternative embodiment 200 is shown in FIG. 4, in which two paralleltop faces 230 are disposed at the top of the credenza body portion 112.Each top face 230 defines a plurality of openings 232-238 therethrough.Thus, each interior compartment 114 a-d is in communication with theoutside of the shell member 110 through at least one of the openings232-238. The openings 232-238 are configured to allow materials to beplaced in the corresponding compartments 114 a-d. Lift out bins can beplaced in each of the compartments 114 a-d to facilitate remove ofmaterial therefrom.

In one such embodiment, each opening 232-238 has a shape that designatesa different type of material to be placed in the correspondingcompartment 114 a-d. In one illustrative example, opening 232 can have ashape indicating that trash is to be placed in corresponding compartment114 a; opening 234 can have a shape indicating that recyclable paper isto be placed in corresponding compartment 114 b; opening 236 can have ashape indicating that recyclable plastic containers are to be placed incorresponding compartment 114 c; and opening 238 can have a shapeindicating that recyclable aluminum cans are to be placed incorresponding compartment 114 d. Labels indicating the type of materialto be placed in a compartment may also be provided. Similarly to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment may be mounted on castors orlarge glides to facilitate ease of movement.

Another embodiment 300 is shown in FIG. 5. This embodiment 300 issimilar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, but is lighter and moreeasily moved. While this embodiment may be mounted on large glides, useof castors 340 will make this embodiment 300 more portable.

The embodiments shown here can be made using techniques well known inthe cabinetry and metal fabrication arts.

The above described embodiments, while including the preferredembodiment and the best mode of the invention known to the inventor atthe time of filing, are given as illustrative examples only. It will bereadily appreciated that many deviations may be made from the specificembodiments disclosed in this specification without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention is to be determined by the claims below rather than beinglimited to the specifically described embodiments above.

1. A piece of office furniture, comprising: a. a body portion, the bodyportion including a vertical back wall, two oppositely disposed verticalside walls, a horizontal planar bottom surface and an oppositehorizontal top surface, wherein the bottom surface, the top surface, theback wall and the two side walls define a cavity therein; b. a pluralityof drawers disposed within the cavity, each drawer slidably mounted tothe body portion and including a front door portion affixed thereto; c.a plurality of removable bins, each bin being disposed in a differentone of the plurality of drawers; d. a cabinet defined by at least onevertical sub-wall and the body portion, a cabinet door pivotally affixedto the body portion and configured to enclose the cabinet; e. aplurality of labels associated with each of the door portions and thecabinet door, the plurality of labels indicative of which type ofmaterial is to be placed in the removable bin corresponding to the doorwith which each label is associated.
 2. The piece of office furniture ofclaim 1, wherein each of the plurality of labels indicate a differenttype of recyclable material that is to be placed in a corresponding bin.3. The piece of office furniture of claim 1, wherein one of theplurality of labels indicate that trash is to be placed in acorresponding bin.
 4. The piece of office furniture of claim 1, whereineach drawer is mounted to the body portion with a drawer slide.
 5. Thepiece of office furniture of claim 1, wherein each of the removable binscomprises a plastic material.
 6. The piece of office furniture of claim1, wherein a gripping mechanism is affixed to each of the drawers andwherein the label is applied to the gripping member.
 7. The piece ofoffice furniture of claim 1, further comprising at least one horizontalshelf disposed in the cabinet.
 8. The piece of office furniture of claim1, further comprising a counter top material disposed on top of thehorizontal top surface.
 9. The piece of office furniture of claim 8,wherein the counter top material comprises granite.
 10. The piece ofoffice furniture of claim 1, further comprising a planar lift-off toppiece placed above at least one of the removable bins, the lift-off toppiece defining an opening therethrough.
 11. A credenza, comprising: a. abody portion that defines a cavity therein; b. a plurality of spacedapart vertical sub-walls disposed within the cavity so as to define aplurality of compartments therebetween; c. a first front door disposedat a front side of a first one of the compartments and a first removablebin disposed in the first one of the compartments, the first front doorincluding a label indicating that the first removable bin is configuredto receive therein a first recyclable material, the first front doorcoupled to a slide mechanism that is configured to support the firstremovable bin and that is configured to slide the first removable binoutwardly from the first one the compartments so as to facilitate accessto the first removable bin; d. a second front door disposed at a frontside of a second one of the compartments and a second removable bindisposed in the second one of the compartments, the second front doorincluding a label indicating that the second removable bin is configuredto receive therein a second recyclable material, the second front doorcoupled to a slide mechanism that is configured to support the secondremovable bin and that is configured to slide the second removable binoutwardly from the second one the compartments so as to facilitateaccess to the second removable bin; and e. a third front door pivotallyaffixed to the body portion so as to enclose a third one of thecompartments selectively, the third front door including a labelindicating that the third one of the compartments is configured toreceive therein a non-refuse item.
 12. The credenza of claim 11, furthercomprising a fourth front door disposed at a front side of a fourth oneof the compartments and a fourth removable bin disposed in the fourthone of the compartments, the fourth front door including a labelindicating that the fourth removable bin is configured to receive trashtherein, the fourth front door coupled to a slide mechanism that isconfigured to support the fourth removable bin and that is configured toslide the fourth removable bin outwardly from the fourth one thecompartments so as to facilitate access to the fourth removable bin. 13.The credenza of claim 11, wherein the sliding mechanisms each comprise adrawer slide.
 14. The credenza of claim 11, wherein each of theremovable bins comprises a plastic material.
 15. The credenza of claim11, wherein each of the front doors comprise a gripping mechanism towhich the label is applied.
 16. The credenza of claim 11, furthercomprising at least one horizontal shelf disposed in the third one ofthe compartments.
 17. The credenza of claim 11, further comprising acounter top material disposed on top of the horizontal top surface. 18.The credenza of claim 17, wherein the counter top material comprisesgranite.
 19. The credenza of claim 11, further comprising a planarlift-off top piece placed above at least one of the removable bins, thelift-off top piece defining an opening therethrough.
 20. The credenza ofclaim 19, wherein the opening defined by each of the lift-off top pieceshas a shape indicative of which type of material is to be placed in thebin corresponding to the lift-off top piece.